Because You Want Me
by katiekayx
Summary: Emma is feeling suffocated as she deals with her feelings towards both Hook and Neal. A much needed conversation with Hook clears some things up, as does a confrontation with Neal.


_"It will be because you want me."_

Those words burned, seared themselves onto Emma's memory from the minute they were spoken, echoes of his soft voice ringing in her ears.

Emma had never had one person fight for her, let alone two, and it terrified her. Neal's determination and Hook's fierce loyalty were battling for room in her mind and heart, and she shut her eyes tight against the onslaught of emotion that had her fighting back tears.

She didn't know what to do. She felt suffocated. Hook had been giving her space, but she supposed it was also due to the fact that he was also avoiding Neal, who had taken to following Emma around, keeping a close watch.

Standing near the fire in their campsite, Emma took an experimental few steps to her left, and rolled her eyes when Neal also moved closer. She tried not to let her frustration show, but knew that she was failing when Neal sighed. This was the last thing she wanted to do. She didn't want to hurt anyone. The lost girl in her, however, felt angry, _so_ angry, that Neal would do this _now_. Why not fight for her back when they had a future to fight for?

With all these thoughts swirling in her head, she didn't notice Hook watching her until he cleared his throat. She met his eyes, seeing his silent question asking her if she was all right. She shook her head subtly, and tried not to think about how easily they were having a silent conversation. Hook tilted his head slightly to the left and disappeared into the trees and before Emma had a chance to second-guess herself, she followed. Her mind was yelling at her that this was a bad idea, but her feet seemed to have a mind of their own.

He stopped a little ways ahead of her in a small clearing and Emma took in the tense set of his shoulders. "All right there, Swan?" He asked softly, turning to face her and it suddenly struck Emma how different he seemed since they'd gotten to Neverland compared to when they first met. Gone was the cocky, self-assured pirate who only thought of himself, and here stood a man who was concerned _for her_ and who was thinking about _her feelings_.

"I feel…" Emma trailed off, taking a deep breath, "I don't know how I feel."

He studied her for a moment, his left hand clenching and unclenching at his side. "I wish you didn't have to go through this." He said through grit teeth, his eyes closed as if he were in pain.

Emma's eyes snapped to meet his. "What are you talking about?"

"What I said, about having to choose…" he shut his eyes again, taking a deep breath, "that wasn't fair." He took a step closer, extending a hand towards her. "You shouldn't have to choose. I shouldn't put pressure on you when you already have enough to deal with. Not even when I feel…" He trailed off again, "Well. You already know how I feel." In that moment, Emma knew without a doubt that now, and possibly for the entirety of the time they had been in Neverland, she had been with Killian Jones, not Captain Hook.

"You're not… you're not pressuring me. I'm not upset with you."

"You're not happy with me either, love." Hook pointed out, looking chagrined.

Emma sighed in frustration, wanting to throw something or yell, anything to alleviate the tumult of feelings she was trying to deal with. She didn't need this right now. She needed to concentrate, to find Henry, and to find a way to get her father off of the island. A tiny voice in the back of her mind said that having someone to take some of the weight of her burdens off of her shoulders wouldn't be so bad, but she was trying her hardest to ignore that voice. "I've never had to deal with this before," she said softly. "I've never had to choose between two people because two people have never _wanted_ me."

Hook took another step towards her, "Emma. That's not true."

"How would you know?" She nearly shouted at him, regretting it instantly when he flinched.

He recovered quickly and took three strides towards her until he was standing right in front of her. "I _know_, Swan, because there is no way in seven hells that anyone could meet you and get to know you without being completely besides themselves with wanting you," he said in a rush, his voice firm and filled with determination. He had that look in his eyes again, the same look that was present when he made his declaration in the Echo Caves, and Emma felt a rush of heat spread to her cheekbones as he refused to break eye contact.

His voice was more gentle as he reached out to touch her arm, "Emma, you don't…" he took a shaky breath, "You don't know how much you've saved us all." He held up a hand when she tried to interrupt, "No, please. Don't argue, because you won't win. I know this isn't what you want to hear, but you need to know it. You need to know how much you save people, because that's what's going to get you through this. You're going to save Henry."

She could tell by his face that he wasn't lying, and that he truly believed in her. She didn't know what to make of that. "How do you know?" She croaked, her throat sore from holding back tears.

A small, genuine smile appeared on his face, one that she didn't see from him very often. "Because you've already saved _me_."

They stared at each other for a long moment, Emma breaking their gaze when Hook raised a hand to her face, cupping her cheek gently. Emma's eyes fell shut and she took a shuddering breath, and she heard Hook's breath hitch as she took a small step forward, her feet nearly in between his, they were standing so close. "_I believe in you_." He whispered, his lips brushing the shell of her ear, and Emma was embarrassed to feel a warm tear start to slide down her face before he wiped it away with the pad of his thumb.

Emma made a noise somewhere between a sob and a sigh and practically launched herself at him, her arms going around his waist as she buried her face in the crook between his neck and shoulder. The sudden move shocked him, but it only took a moment before his arms were wrapped tightly around her as well, his good hand cradling her head as his hooked arm slipped around her waist. "Shh, love, it's okay." He murmured, turning his face into her hair as he continued to comfort her.

A crashing noise in the jungle around them startled them both, but aside from jumping, Emma made no move to disentangle herself from Hook's arm. His arm around her waist tightened and his good arm lowered to his side to grasp the hilt of his sword, but he stopped short of unsheathing it when Neal came bursting into the clearing, his eyes wide and worried as they landed on Emma and Hook.

"Emma?" His eyes flashed with anger as he glanced at Hook, "What happened?"

Hook barely restrained himself from rolling his eyes. "Nothing happened. She — "

"She's crying, why is she crying?"

"It's so nice of you to ask_ mate_, but –"

"Will the two of you please shut up?" Emma said, sniffling as she turned from Hook's embrace to face Neal. "I'm fine. I needed a moment and…" She trailed off.

"And Hook here was more than happy to help you, I'm sure," Neal said, the venom in his voice surprising even to Hook, who went rigid at the words.

"Yeah," Emma snapped, "He was. He noticed I wasn't feeling well back in the camp and brought me out here to talk me through it. He was helping me, so back off, Neal."

Hook's arm was still around her waist and Emma could feel how tense this encounter was making him and she knew that this was the last thing he wanted. He might have wanted to fight for her, but he wasn't keen on any more confrontations with Neal. She didn't have the energy to referee, either, so she stepped out of his arms and tried not to pay attention to the look of hurt that flashed across his face before he schooled his features back into a mask of indifference.

"Can we talk about literally anything else, now?" She asked, annoyance filling her voice.

"It's getting dark. We should get back." Neal muttered, giving Hook one last angry glance before turning on his heel and heading back towards the campsite.

Emma stayed where she was, arms crossed over her chest, watching him go and she could feel Hook's eyes practically burning holes into her.

"I'm sorry, lass. I didn't mean to make things more difficult for you."

"Oh, stop apologizing." She waved a hand at him, "I needed that. You were there for me and I needed that reassurance." She turned to face him and wasn't surprised to see his trademark smirk working its way back onto his face.

"Some might say gratitude is in order now, Emma." He said, grinning at her now and a laugh bubbled out of her before she could stop it.

"Don't push your luck, Killian." His name passed her lips before she could even think about it but as soon as she did, the smile dropped from her face as she watched him freeze, tension zapping back into his body.

"What did you…"

"I… Hook, I –"

He closed the distance between them swiftly and captured her lips in a searing kiss that Emma felt all the way to the tips of her toes. His good hand buried itself in her hair and his other arm was back around her waist again, pulling her close as she arched towards him, seemingly melting into him. Her entire body felt like it was on fire as he literally kissed the breath out of her, and she only had a second to gasp for breath before his mouth crashed back down onto hers, a low groan rumbling through his chest as her hands slid upwards from his shoulders into his hair. The warmth from his body was ripped away suddenly as he nearly pushed her away.

"If we don't stop, I'm afraid I won't be able to and I won't take advantage of you," his voice was rough, gravelly as he stared at her with eyes dark from arousal.

Emma nodded, not trusting her voice, and tried to slow down her breathing and calm her rapidly beating heart. "We… we should get back." She said after a minute, her voice shaky.

"Aye," his voice almost cracked, "Lead the way, love."

They made their way back to the campsite in relative silence, but just before they were back, Emma stopped abruptly and whirled around. "You mean more to me than you think," she said, rendering him speechless. "I just wanted you to know that." She said, looking him in the eye for a second more before turning and pushing her way through the trees to where her parents were sitting.

Hook waited a minute before following her, a small smile playing on his face and something that felt strangely like hope burning in his chest.


End file.
